Container



W. E. HELLER Aug. 10, 1937.

CONTAINER Filed Aug. 17, 1955 gvwcmvbom Walter E. Heller Patented Aug. 10,

CONTAINER Walter E. Heller, St. Paul, Minn, assignor to David C. Shepard, St. Paul, Minn.

Application August 17, 1935, Serial No. 36,702

7 Claims. (01. 229-517) My invention relates to containers open at the top and particularly to the construction for closing the same.

An object of the invention resides in utilizing for the cover of the container, a disc of paper or equivalent material and in providing in conjunction therewith a retaining ring angular in cross-section and having a side flange encircling said container at its upper end and a top flange extending inwardly from said side flange and overlying the marginal portion of said cover.

Another object of the invention resides in forming the side flange with a channel in which the edge of the cover is received and by means of which the retaining ring is held attached to the cover.

A still further object of the invention resides in providing fasteners for holding the cover in closing position, said fasteners being attached to the retaining ring.

- Another object of the invention resides in constructing the container with a rim having a "downwardly facing shoulder and in constructing the fasteners with fingers for engagement with the shoulder.

A feature of the invention resides in constructing the fingers with cams for directing the fingers over the rim, said cams forming in conjunction with the fingers, bights in which a wire may be placed for securing the fasteners in fastening position.

An object of the invention resides in providing keepers on the cams for preventing the wire from pulling out of the bights.

A still further object of the invention resides in constructing the fasteners from sheet metal.

A feature of the invention resides in the specific construction of the fasteners.

Other objects of the invention reside in the novel combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter illustrated and/or described.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a container illustrating an embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the structure shown in Fig. 1 and drawn to a larger scale and with parts broken away to illustrate the construction of the fastener.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross-Sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and drawn to a larger scale.

In the construction of closures for containers and particularly where paper is used, one practice has been to form a flange on the cover constructed of paper and integral therewith. Such construction involves considerable expense in manufacture. In addition the flanges soon spread out resulting in an ill-fitting cover. Furthermore, where a paper flange is formed on the cover conto which the fasteners for securing the cover to the container may be readily attached.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention,

I have shown in the drawing a container which is indicated in its entirety by the reference numeral ID. This container is constructed of paper or any other suitable material of similar nature and is provided with a body portion ll having a circumferential wall [2 and a bottom, not shown. The container 10 is open at its upper end as indicated at l3 leaving the upper edge Id of the marginal portion l5 of wall l2 free and exposed. Encircling the upper marginal portion I5 of the, wall I 2 adjacent the free edge 14 is a hoop l6 which may also be constructed of paper and which is wound upon said marginal portion and attached thereto by glue or a similar adhesive. The hoop l6 constitutes a rim for the container l and is formed at its lowermost portion with a down- For closing the open upper end [3 of the container II] a cover I8 is employed which is constructed of paper, ply wood or any other similar suitable material. This cover is of a diameter slightly greater than the outer diameter of the hoop I6 and rests upon the upper marginal edge I 9 of said hoop and upon the free edge Id of the wall l2 of container II with the marginal portion 26 of said cover extending outwardly beyond the hoop. By means of my invention, the cover I8 is held properly attached to the container and with the under surface 2| thereof in contact with the edges [9 and M of the hoop I6 and wall l2 to form a tight seal for the open end l3 of said container.

In conjunction with the cover I8 I employ a retaining ring 22 constructed of metal, which ring is angular in cross-section. Ring 22 is provided with a side flange 23 and a top flange 24. Said ring may be constructed by rolling a strip of metal between suitable shapedrolls and the ends of the strip secured together by welding, soldering, riveting or otherwise. The ring 22 encircles the top l8 and the flange 24 rests directly upon the same, as best shown in Fig. 2. In the side flange 23 is formed a channel 25 in which the marginal edge 26 of the cover I8 is received. By means of this construction an inwardly extending shoulder 21 is formed in the side flange 23, which serves to hold the top [8 against the sheet material cut in circular form to the desired dimensions and without the necessity of bending or forming the cover to provide a sealing flange. The retaining ring used with my invention serves to maintain the cover in proper form and also forms a guard for the raw edge of the same. With my invention the fasteners are attached to the retaining ring whereby the same are securely connected to the cover without the use of rivets or other structures passing through the cover. My improved fasteners are readily applied to the container and when properly applied, serve to securely hold the cover attached thereto. By means of the keepers used with my invention, the tie wire employed for holding the fastener in position cannot be pulled out of the bights in which the same is lodged. Due to the formation of the lugs on the engaging fingers of the fasteners the said fasteners readily bite into the shoulder of the hoop which they engage, thereby holding the cover firmly attached to the container. The strips applied to the retaining ring, in addition to assisting in supporting a superimposed container, also serve to relieve the retaining ring from a part of the stress occasioned through the fasteners.

Changes in the specific form of my invention, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a container open at its upper end, and provided at such end with a rim having a downwardly facing shoulder, a cover for the open end of the container, a retaining ring angular in cross-section and having a side flange encircling said rim above said shoulder, said ring having a top flange overlying the marginal portion of said cover, a plurality of fasteners attached to said ring, means on said fasteners for engaging said shoulder, and straps overlying said cover and attached to said top flange in proximity to said fasteners.

2. In combination with a container open at the upper end and provided at such end with means having a downwardly facing shoulder, a cover for the open end of the container, a fastener having an elongated body portion extending downwardly from said cover, a finger extending inwardly from said body portion at its lower end for engagement with said shoulder, a cam inclined downwardly and away from the inner end of the finger and forming a bight for the reception of a tie wire, and a wing extending outwardly from said cam, said wing having an edge extending in spaced substantially parallel relation with respect to the finger for holding the wire within the bight.

3. In combination with a container open at the upper end and provided at such and with means having a downwardly facing shoulder, a cover for the open end of the container, a fastener constructed of sheet metal and having an elongated body portion extending downwardly from said cover, said fastener being bent to form a finger extending inwardly from the lower end of said body portion for engagement with said shoulder and being further bent to provide a cam inclined downwardly and away from the inner end of the finger and forming a bight at the last-named bend for the reception of a tie wire, said cam being bent at its lateral edges to form wings extending outwardly therefrom, said wings having edges extending in spaced substantially parallel relation with respect to the finger for holding the wire within the bight.

l. In combination with a container open at the upper end and provided at such end with means having a downwardly facing shoulder, a cover for the open end of the container, a fastener constructed of sheet metal and having an elongated body portion extending downwardly from said cover, said fastener being bent to form a finger extending inwardly from the lower end of said body portion for engagement with said shoulder and being further bent to provide a cam inclined downwardly and away from the inner end of the finger and forming a bight at the last-named bend for the reception of a tie wire, and a lug struck out of the material of said finger at the last-named bend, said lug having an upwardly facing corner adapted to engage said shoulder.

5. In combination with a container open at the upper end and provided at such end with a rim having a downwardly facing shoulder, a cover for the open end of the container, a retaining ring angular in cross-section and having a side fiange encircling said rim above said shoulder, said ring having a top flange extending inwardly from said side flange and overlying the marginal portion of the cover, a fastener constructed of sheet metal and having an elongated body portion attached at its upper end to the side flange of said ring and depending therefrom, said fastener being bent to form a finger extending inwardly from the lower end of said body portion for engagement with said shoulder and being further bent to provide a cam inclined downwardly and away from the inner end of the finger and forming a bight at the last-named bend for the reception of a tie wire, said cam being bent at its lateral edges to form Wings extending outwardly therefrom, said wings having edges extending in spaced substantially parallel relation with respect to the finger for holding the wire within the bight, and a lug struck out of the material of said finger at the lastnamed bend, said lug having an upwardly facing corner adapted to engage said shoulder.

6. In combination with a container open at the upper end and provided at such end with means having a downwardly facing shoulder, a cover for the open end of the container, a fastener constructed of sheet metal and having a body portion, said body portion being bent to form a finger extending inwardly from the lowermost part of said body portion for engagement with said shoulder and being further bent to provide a downwardly extending portion, and a lug struck out of the material of said finger at said last-named bend, said lug having an upwardly facing corner adapted to engage said shoulder.

7. In combination with a container open at the upper end and provided at such end with means having a downwardly facing shoulder, a cover for the open end of the container, a fastener having a body portion, a finger extending inwardly from the lowermost part of said body portion for engagement with said shoulder, a member extending downwardly from said finger, and a wing extending outwardly from said member, said wing having an edge extending in spaced relation with respect to said finger and forming therewith a groove for the reception of a tie wire.

WALTER E. HELLER. 

